The Perfect Campground.. Need Advice

[Pirate]

Hi guyz and galz... Need some advice...

Amber and I have decided to turn our 6 acre mountain property into a small camping area and rent spots next year. Apparently there's a high demand for this sort of thing in the area. Not only for motorcyclists, but also bicycle riders who come to this area from all over the world to ride the BRPW.. ((Our property is 10 minutes from the parkway.) Amber is already on some "camping register" and already taking names for next season. One couple jumped the gun and showed up a week or so ago..


We've had a few guys working on camping platforms, an enclosed outdoor shower, a large fire pit, and clearing areas for a handful of small structures. Some spots will be a basic cleared area, some will have wooden platforms for tents, at least one spot will have a furnished tent already set-up tent, and 2-3 spots should have a completely enclosed structure of some sort.. Prices for each spot would vary obviously. All of this is off the grid.. No electricity.. no vending machines..We may have some solar lighting to mark the trails at some point. We will have a caretaker living on the property for check-ins, assistance, etc..


I'm not a camper.. I've never done this sort of thing.. (at least not on purpose) and I'd like some advice from those who like to camp as to what a nice motorcycle (or otherwise) campground might need.


I'm wondering if a designated parking area for motorcycles is needed? I'm thinking most would want to park their bikes next to their tents?.. I know I would, but not sure other campers would want motorcycles riding though the otherwise pristine wooded area near their tents. .. What do other places do? and what do you guys (who camp) prefer? I'd assume a small parking pad would be necessary next to the tent?

Any advice will be appreciated.. Anything you can think of..

[justjoe]

A lot of campers will require either electricity or a sunny area for solar regeneration of their electronics. Not everyone, but it is a nice feature. If I am camping I can run a CPAP on battery for a day or two but I also need to have some sort of charging capabilities. Here are a few things to consider.

Picnic tables - this makes cooking easier
Potable water - nothing fancy but having a spigot somewhere is important
Blue room - This is somewhere with good drainage and curtained off for an outdoor shower. If folks can get water, they can take a shower (solar shower bags, see the intro) and I have always called these areas a blue room because growing up we'd hang a blue tarp and take showers
Level camping area - nothing sucks worse than ground camping on a slope
Are hammocks welcome? Some campgrounds will not allow hammock camping for some strange reason
Driveway - Once again, nothing fancy, but somehow having a path to get people to their camping spot. And yes, most folks will want to park by their campsite.

I hope this sparks some thought. Or you could move your property to Charleston to be near the beach (see another thread!)

[955i]

Joe, it's not really the hammocks that campgrounds object to, it's the campers who use them! Have you ever seen one of those guys? Whew.

[stxman4]

I agree with all the points Joe brought up. For showers, if you eventually built a men's and women's bathroom/shower facility with electricity that could be a nice feature and would negate the need for "blue rooms" at each campsite. I don't know how far apart your campsites are but if they are all in relative walking distance to a shower room and flushing toilet that should help with telling people not to just go dig a hole (which usually ends up too close to the campsite as people are lazy).

A picnic table and a fire ring is common for most "primitive" campsites. A water spigot is always a bonus.

[Lee]

I agree with a lot of Joe's points.
Picnic tables were always a must for us because we never carried camp chairs.

Level grass spot for the tent with room to park a couple bikes next to the tent.
You'll need some sort of gravel road to the tent pads. I would not like the idea of riding my street bike through the woods.
I would not like a wood platform for the tent.

Shower house with flush toilets would be important for most.
We've camped with pit toilets and no showers on trips but did not care for it.

If you decide to go with a primitive campground make it clear on the website it's primitive.

[Lee]

. bicycle riders who come to this area from all over the world to ride the BRPW.. ((Our property is 10 minutes from the parkway.)

They may not be willing to ride 10 miles from the parkway to find camping.

[RS530]

10 minutes, not 10 miles

[Lee]

I figured he meant 10 minutes in a car or motorcycle.

[RS530]

Ahhh, that makes sense.

[Pittsdriverwes]

When I'm popping my tent open in a stealth camping spot (that's anything from dispersed camping to picking a spot out behind a church or some such) the thing I miss the most is a picnic table. I carry a great camp chair and tiny table for eating or hanging out but having a table makes unpacking and packing up so much easier for this creaky old back and knees. Nothing fancy, just a place to lay out my stuff while packing it up.

If I'm actually paying for a camp site, a few more things are looked for. Bathroom facilities, if just an out house/portipotty is first on the list followed by a power receptacle for charging or running a CPAP. I carry a small power strip with me so that we can get several outlets from a single receptacle. The ability to put our group (4 tents max) in a single area like a group site or a couple of sites that are relatively close. I can do a day or so without a shower and when we're motorcycle camping on a longer trip, we plan a hotel stay every couple of days to reset (shower, laundry, charging stuff, etc). But if I'm basing myself out of a campground, then a nicer bath facility with showers would be high on the list as well as maybe a coin operated laundry. For any pay camp site, a fire ring and some stash of firewood to purchase is probably considered a basic amenity. We'll also look for a organized camp ground where we're not stacked in there like we were camping on a sidewalk on line for some Black Friday sales - some separation and maybe even some modicum of privacy between the sites.

Camping platforms would only be required if the site doesn't afford very flat spots for the tents. As Joe said, nothing is worse that trying to sleep on a slope, even a very slight one. Of all the hundreds of places I've camped over the years, only one has had an actual deck like platform for the tents. Most are a big square bordered by landscape timbers and filled with something hard packed and level. They're usually big enough to two 2 - 3 man size tents (with one occupant in each tent), or one big family sized tent. The group camping sites are always just a big patch of flat grassy area.

That might be more involved than you were thinking but I hope the feed back helps.


Upscale campsite in the Rockies:


Primitive site in the high Nevada desert:


Primitive site in Yellowstone:


Speaking of Yellowstone, if you've got bears in the area, even really docile black bears can get curious about what they smell when they're roaming around in the middle of the night. If we cook at all we'll usually cook and eat far away from where we sleep (like at a community grill/picnic area) and don't take any food back to the tents with us. I don't even take the clothes I was wearing when cooking and eating back in the tent with me. I pack them in a zip lock bag and leave them on the table where the bear can get them without coming into my tent.

Hope this helps.

Wes

[Pirate]

Excellent.. some good tips here.. I'm printing these out for Amber... Keep them coming...

Question.. we had planned on no more than 6-8 spots as we want to guarantee privacy... All but maybe 1 or 2 were going to have wooden tent platforms. That wasn't our idea.. The camping registry place say that most want off the ground and we took their word for it... You guys seem to be disagreeing with them... Why?

BTW.. while our property is up on a mountain... 80% of our property is level and all campsites will be on level ground.. Got that covered..

[Lee]

All but maybe 1 or 2 were going to have wooden tent platforms. That wasn't our idea.. The camping registry place say that most want off the ground and we took their word for it... You guys seem to be disagreeing with them... Why?

We used to carry ziplock bags we could fill with sand to hold down our tent if camping on a beach.
I never carried anything I could use to stake a tent down to a woof floor.
Tents are free standing but they need to be staked so they don't blow away.

[Pittsdriverwes]

Excellent.. some good tips here.. I'm printing these out for Amber... Keep them coming...

Question.. we had planned on no more than 6-8 spots as we want to guarantee privacy... All but maybe 1 or 2 were going to have wooden tent platforms. That wasn't our idea.. The camping registry place say that most want off the ground and we took their word for it... You guys seem to be disagreeing with them... Why?

BTW.. while our property is up on a mountain... 80% of our property is level and all campsites will be on level ground.. Got that covered..

I'd consider a wooden deck to pitch a tent a real luxury and as I mentioned, in hundreds of nights of camping all over the country, only found one place that had such a thing and it was because it was probably the cheapest way to get a level place to pitch a tent.

There was one time in the Ozarks that we stopped at a camping spot that was completely deserted near dusk. Instead of popping open our tents, I put my sleeping bag on a picnic table under a covered pavilion. Got packed up in about 5 minutes the next morning and hit the trail for breakfast. Speaking of that, if there is any shopping within a few miles of you, even a convenience or country store, that's a big plus for getting water and snacks or supplies. I'd list that on your camp description.

Also, take a look at an app called All Stays Camp & Tent. That's a great app that I use often for finding a spot to camp. I'll check the app during the afternoon stop and pick a place that looks decent near where I think I'll want to stop for the night.

[justjoe]

I have never used wooden platforms. If there is one, I would still pitch my tent on the ground because I never had the things needed to secure the tent in place (like stakes). If you have level ground, you are golden! I do prefer a grassy area though, which might be hard to get in heavily wooded areas. A shower house with a crapper is a must have if I am going to be staying for a few days, and I'd expect to pay more than if I only had very basic amenities. For a primitive site, no water, electric, crapper, etc. I wouldn't pay more than $5. If it has water only, $10 a night. I'll pay more as amenities are added but the sweet spot for me is about $20 a night with water, electric and a bath house w/crapper.

Wes makes great points as well and my priorities change depending on whether I am just looking for a place for a night, or to base out of for a few days. Look at some of the competition in the area for their prices and amenities.

[justjoe]

BTW, if you don't know what a solar shower is I've attached a photo.

[802Mike]

Picnic Table, it's nice to spread your gear out on.
Fire Ring to enjoy coffee and conversation or even cook on. An old washing machine tub makes a great one.
Some Sites should accommodate more than one tent for group riders.
Bikes Parked on the site for security and ease of unpacking/packing.
Electricity for CPAP and charging.
Sell Basics like firewood, drinking water, ice....
Hose Pipes in convient locations to rinse off.
Later you can add cabins, wifi, room service and morning yoga.

I don't think a platform is necessary if it's high, dry and level.

[Lee]

BTW, if you don't know what a solar shower is I've attached a photo.

Do they come with the shower assistant

[justjoe]

Do they come with the shower assistant

They sure do, but be careful where you buy one. I went to Walmart and this is the shower assistant I got...

[Loggiebone]

Do they come with the shower assistant